April 30, 2008

CINCINNATI - The Xavier University head coach of cross country and track and field, Steve Nester, has announced the eighteen member recruiting class for the 2008-09 school year. The class is comprised of eight men and ten women and spans seven different states.

"This class represents the most talented, brightest, and most comprehensive cross country and track recruits ever assembled at Xavier," said Nester. "All will provide significant and immediate help to both of our programs. Our teams have shown steady and tremendous improvement over the past five years because of their hard work and dedication. I feel very comfortable this class will help raise the bar even higher. Most importantly, they have the academic credentials to continue our team success in the classroom."

Kurtis Polacek and Emily Tyler will compete only in track starting next season. Polacek, a freshman from Anderson High School in Cincinnati, Ohio has a personal-best 100-meter dash time of 10.97 and 200-meter dash time of 22.37. He will graduate high school with a 4.072 grade point average, is ranked 22 in his class of 357 and earned a score of 30 on the ACT. Tyler from Bethel Tate High School in Bethel, Ohio will graduate from high school with a 4.25 and as class valedictorian. Her personal-best time in the 100-meter hurdles was 15.2, and in the 300-meter hurdles was 45.9. She jumped a personal-best distance of 17'1/4" in the long jump and ran a 12.6 in the 100-meter dash.

On the men's side running both cross country and track are Keith Alberktson of Louisville, Kentucky, Matt Book of Cincinnati, Ohio, Kramer of Hilliard, Ohio, Ben Lawrence of Indianapolis, Indiana, Kyle Schenkel of Cincinnati, Ohio, Steven Testa, of Tallmadge, Ohio, and Dan Thaler of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Alberktson will graduate from Louisville Trinity High School in May with a 3.98 g.p.a. and a class rank of 12/320. Alberktson earned a score of 33 on his ACT and was a National Merit Finalist. His best 5K time of 15:53 was at the Kentucky State Meet where he earned runner-up honors. In track his best 1,600-meter run time was 4:37. Book earned a 3.9 g.p.a. from Elder High School. His personal-best times include 9.39 in the 3,200-meter run, 4.29 in the 1,600-meter run, and 2:02 in the 800-meter run.

Kramer attended Hilliard David High School and scored a 30 on the ACT. His personal-best cross country times are 16:48 (5K) and 34:24 (10K). Kramer ran a 10:34 in the 3,200-meter run, 4:48 in the 1,600-meter run, and 2:07 in the 800-meter run. Lawrence of Lawrence Central High School ran a personal-best 5K time of 16:46 in cross country. On the track his personal-best times include 10:13 in the 3,200-meter run, 4:30 in the 1,600-meter run, and 2:01 in the 800.

Schenkel is ranked 55 in his class of 266 at Elder High School. His personal-best 5K time is 16:24. Schenkel's personal-best track times include 2:07 in the 800-meter run, 4:44 in the 1,600-meter run, and 9:57 in the 3,200-meter run. Testa of Walsh Jesuit High School ran personal-best times of 51.0 in the 400-meter dash, 1:56 in the 800-meter run, 4:33 in the 1,600-meter run, and 16:52 5K. He was a former member of the Division II state Championship 4x800-meter relay team.

Thaler of St. Xavier High School was the Individual State Runner-Up in Division I last fall. His personal-best cross country time includes 15:18 in the 5K. On the track he ran a 1:57 in the 800-meter run, 4:19 in the 1,600-meter run and 9:39 in the 3,200.

"This group features two State Runner-Up Individual performers from Ohio and Kentucky with Thaler and Alberktson," said Nester. "The exciting thing about Alberktson is that he just took up running last fall and ended up the state runner-up in the largest division. Thaler is proven talent who has beat some of the top runners in the Midwest who are going to some of the best programs in the country. He is the most heralded recruit in Xavier running history. Book and Schenkel are very good runners from Elder who keep getting better and better. Kramer of Hilliard Davidson and Lawrence of Lawrence Central will both have legitimate shots of racing in the A-10 Championship as freshmen. We close our recruiting class with Testa, a very good 1:56 800 runner from Northeast Ohio. All seven of our incoming freshman distance runners will provide depth and frontrunners to our already talented and hardworking returning men's cross country team."

On the women's squad Megan Casey of Divine Savior Holy Angels, Kelsey Erlenbaugh of Plainfield High School in Indiana, Courtney Heys of Villa Joseph Marie in Holland, Penn., Caylin Howell of Austin High in Sugarland, Texas, Samantha Milroy of Columbus North in Columbus, Ind., Brittani Peltz of Wadsworth in Wadsworth, Ohio, Sidney Provenzano of Saint Pius X in Atlanta Georgia, and Grace Venzor of Gilmour Academy in Shaker Heights, Ohio will join both the cross country and track programs.

Casey had a personal best time of 15:18 in the 4K during cross country and 11:26 in the 3,200-meter run, 5:21 1,600-meter run, and 2:29 800-meter run while at Divine Savior. Erlenbaugh earned high honor roll on a g.p.a. of 3.776 and is ranked 57/267 in her school. She ran personal-best times of 19:59 5K, 2:22 800-meter run, 62 in the 400-meter dash, and 5:29 in the one-mile run.

Heys earned a g.p.a. of 3.5 while running personal best times of 12.9 in the 100-meter dash, 27.5 in the 200-meter dash, 45.7 in the 300-meter dash, 64 in the 400-meter dash, 2:28.70 in the 800-meter run, and 21:00 5K. Howell was a member of National Honor Society and ran a personal-best cross country time of 20:40. On the track she ran 12:01 in the 3,200-meter run, 5:07.38 1,600-meter run, and 2:17.14 in the 800-meter run. Howell was the District 5A Champion in cross country and the 1,600-meter run.

Milroy ran a personal-best 19:40 in the 5K during cross country and 12:27 3,200-meter run during track season. Peltz earned a g.p.a. of 3.5 and was named to her school's honor roll. In track her personal best times include 58.3 in the 400-meter dash, 25.7 in the 200-meter dash, 57.2 split in the 4x400-meter relay, 11.9 split in the 4x100-meter relay, 24.9 in the 4x200-meter relay, and 2:24 split in the 4x800-meter relay.

Provenzano ran a personal-best 20:16 5K during cross country season and 12:19 in the 3,200-meter run, 5:40 in the mile, and 2:35 in the 800-meter run during track. Venzor ran a personal-best 59.7 in the 400-meter run, 2:23 in the 800-meter run, and was a member of the record setting 4x400-meter relay team at the Berlin Center.

"Our women's cross country team is the most improved program in the A-10 over the past five years," said Nester. "We have gone from tenth, to seventh, to fifth, to fourth, to third in our fourteen team conference. This class should continue that upward trend and add depth to our distance squad. Howell, Casey, and Erlenbaugh have the potential to run in our top-seven as freshmen. In addition, Heys, Milroy, Provenzano, and Venzor each have the ability to crack our A-10 Championship top-12 line-up as freshmen."